Thursday, March 17, 2011

A nice little article tucked away in the WaPo's local section. Appropriate counterpart to the formerly Mainstream Media's complete suppression of news of actual death threats against Wisconsin Republican lawmakers, their spouses and children.

Who cares about death threats, anyway? As long as they're against the evil Republicans. Nothing to see there. Just move along.

Monday, March 14, 2011

If ever there were a prize to be given on “condescending nattering”, Jim Lawrence would be the Nobel Prize winner of the category. Today Jim Lawrence unleashed yet another piece in the Editorial Blog slamming the GOP for not putting up a candidate for the “special election”. An election, mind you, that most have voiced the opinion reduces voter influence within the city limits. Considering that a majority of Rochester’s population within the city limits are “people of color”, in the words of Jim Lawrence, I would think that he of all people would commend the GOP for taking a stand against it.

I am a City Republican, as most of you know, and am one of the many voices that have been against this “special election” from the beginning. I have also speculated that if the GOP were in control of the city and were pulling the same stunt that Morelle and crew are, there would be outrage in the streets. I will also speculate that people like Jim Lawrence would accuse the GOP of reducing the voice of “people of color” and keeping them out of the process. If the GOP were in charge it would be a much different story line than we are hearing now. Apparently if the Democrat Party is reducing voter influence it is ok with Jim and many other media outlets in this city.

So Jim, you ought to be thanking the GOP for standing up against a process that has been manipulated by a small group of party insiders in your beloved Democrat Party. I know that in your mind, any and all things that the GOP does is wrong. In your effort to paint us as being terrible, you are looking like a fool. A fool with an axe to grind and even one willing to sell out the very same people that you claim to advocate for.

I am proud that the GOP is not sending a candidate into this “special election” and I look forward to November. This year there are four district seats up on city council, the very council that allowed for this “special election” to ever take place.

I would like to say “hello” as I am back from what ended up being a few week long celebration for my wedding. I was married here on Feb 12th in the City of Rochester at Chapel Hill on Prince Street with a reception at the Convention Center. Both locations I would recommend to anyone looking to keep their festivities local which was a goal of my wife and me. Actually, we hoped for and were able to have a wonderful wedding all within the city limits!

My wife and I along with my Father, Mother and Stepfather left Feb 15th for Thailand to celebrate in a traditional ceremony on Feb 20th. Completely different but equally amazing was the celebration there. I was excited and proud to have taken part in the traditional Thai ceremony and was thankful to my new father and mother in law for walking me through what I needed to do. In true Thai fashion the “rehearsal” took place moments before the event began. Thailand is full of amazing food, culture, people, food, animals, food, weather, and did I mention food. It blows me away how much I ate and gained not a pound! Yay for that! We took in much of what Bangkok has to offer in the lines of shopping, temples, dining, and more shopping. My wife and I also took a three night trip to Chiang Mai in the Northern part of Thailand. Chiang Mai is a much smaller city than Bangkok but equally as exciting. We visited temples, watched a snake show, monkey show, cuddled with tigers, explored the highest point in Thailand, and visited with the Karen Tribe in the mountains and drank some of the home grown coffee. We also took and elephant ride, river raft journey, ate more food and stopped by one of the King’s projects turning what was once a large opium growing district into now fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The King has over 3,000 projects that he has helped to create all of which are making Thailand a better place than when he took the throne decades ago.

We then returned to Bangkok to spend some more quality time with her family which never lasts long enough before returning to Rochester this past Sunday.

Needless to say we could almost stand for taking a few days off after all of this. I was bummed to return to reality but happy to get back home. Any and every time I leave the country I am always surprised what it feels like to return. There is part of me that wants to stay where it is warm and sunny all day, exotic flowers are growing all year, shorts and flip flops are ok anywhere you go, you get the drift.

But here I am, a married man, new job, fresh off of some wonderful time spent cultivating relationships with my new family members, and excited about what this year has to offer. I am happy to be back!

For a Front-Page Hatchet Job, "Reporting" Mimics Artat the Democrat and Chronicle(With Apologies to Monty Python)

[CUE OMINOUS MUSIC]

March 8, 2011 was much like any other winter's day in Rochester and John Auberger, Supervisor of the Town of Greece, was on his way to work as usual when . . . nothing happened!

Scarcely able to believe his eyes, Auberger looked down, but one glance confirmed his suspicions: behind a bush, on the side of the road, there was no severed arm, no dismembered trunk of a man in his late fifties, no head in a bag –- nothing, not a thing!

For John Auberger, this was not to be the start of any trail of events which would not, in no time at all, involve him in neither a tangled knot of suspicion nor any web of lies, which would -- had he been not uninvolved -- surely have led him to no other place than the Central Criminal Court! But it was not to be.

John Auberger reached his office on Long Pond Road, Greece, at 9.05 a.m. -- exactly the same time he usually got in.

ENID: Morning, Supervisor Auberger.AUBERGER: Morning, Enid.

Enid, a sharp-eyed, clever young woman, who had been with the office for only four weeks, couldn't help noticing the complete absence of tiny, but telltale blood stains on Mr. Auberger's clothing. Nor did she notice anything strange in Auberger’s behavior that whole morning, nor the next morning, nor at any time before or since the entire period she worked for the Town.

But for the lack of any untoward circumstances for this young secretary to notice and the total non-involvement of Supervisor Auberger in anything illegal, the full weight of the law would have ensured that John Auberger would have ended up like all who challenge the fundamental laws of our society: in an iron coffin with spikes on the inside!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

We do this blog to consider political matters, mostly those specific to Rochester, New York and the region around it.

To provide information the mainstream media suppresses.

To present original analysis of the matters we report, or about which we comment.

We strive for good writing. We assume a literate readership.

Our interest is in ideas. Our satisfaction is in expressing them clearly and, we hope, with a sense of humor.

We criticize intellectual dishonesty in public policies and public figures. We seek to expose corrupt journalism trying to pass as straight news. We condemn political cowardice in those whose constituents count on them to address the issues of the day forthrightly.

On behalf of my colleagues Lucy, Rich Tyson, Steve Zodiac, Joshua, Mycroft, Fat Tony and His Grace The Archbishop of Yentaberry, we thank you for visiting Mustard Street, and for considering what we have to say.

With the last, or at least most recent, of the lawsuits against the process dismissed, the race for Mayor of Rochester between former Mayor Bill Johnson and former Corporation Counsel Tom Richards has begun in earnest.

Richards begins with formidable advantages, including the full weight of the Democratic machine behind him and the party's line on the ballot.

Johnson has come out strongly, repaying the favor of over-the-top Johnson-bashing by Democratic Chairman Joe Morelle with some pointed questioning of Richards' role in the sell-off of RG&E when Richards was CEO. The sale left Richards with a $10 million payout and hundreds of local residents jobless. Johnson is right in saying this reflects on Richards' experience in a chief executive role.

In all respects, especially because of the short time-frame of a special election, this will be an unusual campaign.